In early 1940 at Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke A.G. wide-range preparations for series production of the new version of the Junkers Ju 88 bomber, designated A-4, which was the most produced bomber version of this aircraft began.

The Antonov An-26 (NATO reporting name “Curl”) was originally designed for “Aeroflot” – the Russian national airline and biggest carrier in Russia – to meet its requirement for a light passenger/cargo transport aircraft capable of replacing its ageing fleet of Li-2s and Il-14s.